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Malaysia: Dozens detained as cops block protests over BN takeover of state parliament

Dr D. Jeyakumar.

By Peter Boyle

May 8, 2009 -- Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific -- Police detained dozens of opposition activists, lawyers and legislators
on May 6-7 as protests erupted around Malaysia's ruling National Front's (Barisan
Nasional -- BN) removal of the opposition People’s Alliance (Pakatan
Rakyat) state government of Perak, one of five states won by the
opposition in the March 2008 general elections. Among those arrested
was Dr D. Jeyakumar, the federal MP of the Socialist Party of Malaysia
(PSM).

Earlier this year, the BN induced three opposition state assembly
members to turn "independent" and support the BN to take over the Perak state
government. May 7 was the first day of sitting of the state assembly
since the BN power grab. The opposition has called for new elections to
the state assembly and opinion polls indicate taht the opposition could win a bigger
majority if new elections were called.

For the first time in Malaysia’s history, police invaded a state
assembly and dragged off opposition assembly members who were resisting
the removal of the Pakatan Rakyat speaker of the assembly. The speaker,
D. Sivakumar, was also dragged off.

PSM secretary-general S. Arutchelvan described the incident as the
"unmasking" of new BN Prime Minister Najib Razak as a repressive ruler.

PSM MP arrested

Jeyakumar
was arrested along several others simply for turning up to show his
support for the opposition at the Perak state assembly building in
Ipoh, Arutchelvan explained. An electoral reform activist Wong Chin
Huat was arrested and charged with sedition for calling on the public
to wear black in protest. "People who went to show solidarity with Wong
were harassed and arrested in front of the Brickfield Police Station", Arutchelvan reported.

"Islamic Party (PAS) vice-president Mohamad Sabu was locked up because
he was going to lead mass prayers over the Perak state assembly
sitting. Three students who tried to deliver a cake on the 31st
birthday of Altantuya, a Mongolian model alleged to have been murdered
on Najib’s orders, were also arrested.

"Police chief Musa Hassan even warned the public not to wear black on May 7. The police also obtained a court injunction which allows them to
arrest on sight any member of the public seen within the vicinity of
Perak state government building. Riot police surrounded the building
and set up road blocks in the area and Jeyakumar and 68 other
opposition supporters were arrested for breaching this order", said Arutchelvan.

Later that night, police arrested dozens of people who held candlelight vigils in several cities.

BN has `no faith in people'

Arutchelvan continued: "Those who have seen Najib in action in 1987, with his infamous threat
to 'soak the keris [traditional Malay sword] in Chinese blood', will
remember what he is capable of doing. The BN maneuvres to avoid a new state election in Perak and the BN’s
fear of by-elections are clear signs that the BN will not try to seek
any mandate from the people. When a government has no faith in the
people, then they will have no choice but to use the machinery of the
state -- the police, army, the courts and the election commission – to
serve its objectives.

"BN’s power politics had always revolved around three factors: money
politics and the support of the capitalist class, the use of state
machinery to crush political enemies and the issue of race and
religious issues to create disunity.

“Today we see that some of these elements are withering away. The unity
within BN is crumbling every time the race card is used. It backfires.
The capitalist class has no loyalty and will support any government
which is pro-business and free-market orientated, as we can see in the
case of the Pakatan-controlled state governments. That means Najib can
only rely on the state machinery to hang on to power.

"The
people surprised both the opposition and the ruling party in the last
general elections. Today the people are faced by another kind of
scenario when the ruling party is not interested in elections. We may
not have the freedom to fight future battles through the ballot any
more. It is therefore important to built multiethnic people’s power
based on equality, human rights and fairness to fight the oppression
and the undemocratic onslaught facing all of us.

"It is only by building a truly multiethnic people’s power from below,
from the grassroots, that can we challenge the more than 50 years of
tyranny by the ruling elites. The biggest challenge for Pakatan is not
only the BN but its own challenge to overcome racial and religious
politics and serve the people irrespective of race and religion, fairly
and equally.

"Today we see a power struggle in the state of Perak. The might of the
people is in its numbers. PSM stands together with the people for real
reforms."

Action in Solidarity with Asia and the Pacific (ASAP),
formerly ASIET (Action in Solidarity with Indonesia and East Timor),
is a network of solidarity activists campaigning for democratic rights, self-determination and other justice struggles in
the Asia Pacific region.
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